The Dominican Republic is one of the top countries for visa fraud in the Western Hemisphere. Case in point-they are much stricter with fianc? visas than say, Colombia. So strict that one should not even bother applying for one.
I know someone who works at the Consulate in the DR. He told me 7 out of every 10 relationships that go to through the visa interview process are scams, even though some obviously manage to convince the interviewer and have all the requisite proof of the authenticity of the relationship.
There are the most blatant situations, like arranged marriages for money to get a person to the US, Canada or Western Europe. This involves family members from the West making payment to someone they know to get a relative over. You also have the opportunists who work in resorts and do online dating looking to catch a sucker, of which there are many. Then you have the most obvious one where a much older man marries a much younger Dominicana.
A foreigner with no knowledge of Dominican culture, no Spanish speaking skills, no authentic Dominican friends on the island who could steer him/her straight and who is desperate and lonely is a prime candidate. These people usually fall for the same gringo traps-they want to become part of a warm, caring family, they enjoy being treated like a king by their partner (usually for the first time in their lives) and they become convinced that this same treatment will continue once they are back home with their Dominican mates.
Dominicans have done this to themselves. They have made it almost impossible for decent, educated Dominicans to come over and live the American Dream. It never ceases to amaze me how many wonderful, smart and hard-working Dominicans cannot make it over the legal way, yet the tigeres/tigeritas seem to be able to pull a scam and leave no problem.